Message from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios

Dear Friends,

At Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, our mission is to prepare men and women for leadership by creating an environment that fosters growth in knowledge, faith, and service. We work to cultivate these virtues in every student at our School. Pursuing a degree at Hellenic College Holy Cross is a rigorous and challenging academic exercise; it is a dynamic experience of growing in knowledge. Here, students are able, in addition to their questions outside of the classroom to discuss them not only with each other, but with their professors, who themselves are examples of people who see their work of cultivating knowledge as a true vocation, a calling from God.

Because of its Orthodox Christian identity, the Hellenic College Holy Cross environment is not passive when it comes to the question of faith. It does not hesitate to raise the question of faith. On the contrary, it recognizes that faith is precious and that society gains when its leaders are grounded in faith after having devoted themselves to an experience wherein their faith can be deepened. Our School environment provides people with the opportunity to have such an experience.

An environment which affirms knowledge and faith achieves its fullest expression in service to others. This is certainly the case for those who come to our School to prepare themselves for the Holy Priesthood of our Orthodox Church. Our seminarians prepare for a life of priestly service from the moment they step foot onto our campus. They do this through regular worship, by living within a community of faith, by following a carefully planned curriculum, and by tangibly applying their skills in our comprehensive field education program. For all others who study at our School, regardless of their degree program, they too are invited to learn through what they experience that human beings are not fully free, not fully developed, unless they are living their lives in service to others. This is our vision for the future. This is what students who come to our School will experience firsthand.

I invite you to consider partaking in the Hellenic College Holy Cross experience, and to become a part of a community that values the cultivation of knowledge, faith, and service as fundamental virtues for leadership in a complex and changing world. May the grace and peace of God be with you always.